Chair with rear shelf



Sept. 1, 1953 c. CHOATE CHAIR WITH REAR SHELF Filed June 24. .1950

CHQ/sT AN CZ/OA TE IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY- Patented Sept. 1, 1953 CHAIR WITH REAR SHELF Christian E. Choate, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-half to Cliff May, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 24, 1950, Serial No. 170,212

Claims. 1

This invention relates to chairs and the like, particularly the lawn or patio furniture type designed for outdoor and other informal uses.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a chair or like seatin means which is made of comparatively few parts of novel construction affording an easy assembly thereof to produce a strong, durable, comfortable and well balanced chair of unique and pleasing appearance.

It is another object of this invention to provide a chair construction wherein a pair of seat supporting members are combined with a pair of chair side members to form particularly novel chair side units with which chair seat means may be readily and easily combined to produce an effective reinforced and sturdy chair.

Further, it is an object of this invention to provide a chair construction such as described wherein the chair side units include novel back supporting members with which chair back means may be combined in a particularly easy and effective manner, and by which the chair is additionally reinforced and strengthened.

Another object hereof is to provide a chair such as described in which the seat supporting members and the back supporting members in channel form are arranged to have marginal portions of the seat and back slidably positioned in the channels thereof in the operation of assembling the chair and to thereafter retain the seat and back in the channels, thereby facilitating the assembly of the chair, and providing a particularly secure and reliable support of the seat and back.

It is a further object to provide a chair construction such as described wherein the chair side members may be formed as inverted U-- shaped members providing legs and arm rests and having the seat supporting members and the back supporting members fixed thereto and to one another in a manner which facilitates the assembly of the seat and back means and simplifies and strengthens the construction of the chair as a whole.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of the chair;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the upper marginal portions of the back and one of the back supporting members.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, one form of chair construction embodying the present invention generally comprises like side units A and B which are laterally spaced apart and connected and held in upright position by means of a seat C and a back D, thereby forming a complete chair.

Each of the side units A and B includes a chair side member here shown in the form of an inverted U-shaped leg member 6 preferably made of a single piece of metal tubing and providing upright front and rear leg portions 6a and 61) respectively, and a cross portion forming an arm rest 8c. A channeled seat supporting member I is welded or otherwise fixed as at la and lb respectively to the leg portions 6a and 6b below the arm rest portion 60 so as to extend in a somewhat rearwardly and downwardly inclined plane between the leg portions and forwardly of the front leg portion 6a. Each side unit also includes a channeled back supporting member 8 which is welded or otherwise fixed at its lower end as at 8:1 to the seat supporting member I at a point intermediate the ends thereof, and is upwardly and rearwardly inclined and welded or otherwise fixed between its ends as at 8?) to the rear vortex of the associated leg member. Thus, it will be seen that each of the separate side units A and B consists of but three rigidly connected parts, namely, a U-shaped leg member, a channeled seat supporting member and the channeled back supporting member.

The two side units A and B, seat C and back D may readily be assembled as a complete chair by sliding or otherwise fitting the seat and back into the channels of the members I and 8 and securing the seat and back to the members i and 8 by means of suitable fastenings such as the bolts 9 and nuts 10. Thus, the seat and back and said fastenings constitute the sole means of connecting the side units A and B and holding the chair parts in assembled relation.

As here shown, the seat C comprises a plurality of slat-like sections ii of wood or other suitable material and the back D is likewise formed of similar sections I2, although it is to be understood that the back and seat each may be of one piece formation if desired.

The outer marginal portion lid of the outermost seat section ll extends beyond the outer ends of the seat-supporting members "i and is somewhat rounded to avoid sharp or uncomfortable edge portions. Additional comfort is afforded by fastening the lowermost section it of the back D so that its lower edge is spaced upwardly from the seat C, thereby avoiding crowding of the small of the back of the person seated in the chair.

The upper marginal portion i201 of the back D is extended above the upper ends of the backsupporting members 3 and is somewhat rounded.

The underside of the outermost seat section H is formed with a shoulder lib which abuts the outer ends of the seat supporting members i,

there being a similar shoulder 12b on the uppermost back section l2 which contacts the upp ends of the back supporting members 8. These shoulders serve as stops to limit the extension of portions of the seat and back sections into the channeled members and, in the case of the shoulder I217, fiush joints are formed at the upper ends of members 8.

It will now be apparent that each side unit of the chair, in being formed of the inverted U- shaped leg member with the channeled members for supporting the seat and back fixed thereto as here provided, is exceptionally rigid and strong such that very light metal tubing and sheet metal channels may be employed without appreciable sacrifice of rigidity and strength. The rigidity, durability, and strength of the chair is increased by the manner in which the seat and back are fixed within the channels of the and back supporting member, and tie the side units together. Thus, the chair is ideally suitable for outdoor use.

As the seat supporting member '5 and the back supporting member 8 are aligned on each side unit, the sections H and 12 are interchangeable and reversible.

The joining of the back supporting members 8 to the seat supporting members '1 at points which are intermediate the leg portions Ga and 6b of the inverted U-shaped leg members, and the fixing of the seat supporting members and back supporting members to the leg units, provide a well balanced chair with a low center of gravity, giving the chair desired stability while affording a comfortable seat. Moreover, as the chair back D is spaced well forwardly at its lower end from the rear edge of the seat C, that portion of the seat behind the back serves as a convenient shelf or supporting surface, and access thereto be had through the space between the lower edge of the back and the seat, as will be apparent with reference to Figure 2.

Due to the unit construction of this chair it may be readily marketed as a knocked down product subject to being easily assembled, the formation of the unit parts affording a convenient storage, shipping and packaging thereof in small compass.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description of the form of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope or" the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chair comprising: a pair of side units each including a front leg, a rear leg, a cross member joining the upper ends of said legs, a seat supporting member fixed to and extending between said legs and a back supporting member fixed intermediate its ends to said cross member and at its lower end to said seat supporting memher at a point on the latter which is spaced forwardly from the rear end of said seat-supporting member, a seat fixed at marginal portions thereof to the seat supporting members of said units and a back fixed at marginal portions thereof to the back supporting members of said units.

2. A chair comprising a pair of side units each including an inverted U-shaped leg member having front and rear leg portions connected by a cross portion, a channeled seat-supporting member fixed at one end to said rear leg portion, and at a point spaced inwardly from the other end thereof being fixed to said front leg portion, a

channeled back-supporting member fixed at its lower end to a point on the seat supporting member which is spaced forwardly of the rear end of the latter, and being fixed between its ends to said leg member adjacent the juncture of the cross portion with the rear leg portion, a seat having marginal portions engaged in the channels of said seat supporting member; and a back having marginal portions seated in the channels of back supporting members, said seat and back being formed of a plurality of sections having opposite marginal portions engaged in the channel of said supporting members.

3. A chair comprising a pair of side units each including an inverted U-shaped leg member having front and rear leg portions connected by a cross portion, a channeled seat-supporting member fixed at one end to said rear leg portion, and fixed at a point spaced inwardly from its other end to said front leg portion, and a channeled back-supporting member fixed at its lower end to a point on the seat supporting member which is spaced forwardly of the rear end of the latter, and being fixed between its ends to said leg member; a seat having marginal portions engaged in the channels of said seat supporting member; and a back having marginal portions seated in the channels of said back supporting member, said back having its lower edge spaced upwardly from said seat.

4. A chair comprising a pair of side units each including an inverted U-shaped leg member having front and rear leg portions connected by a cross portion, a channeled seat-supporting member fixed at one end to said rear leg portion and fixed at a point spaced inwardly from its other end thereof to said front leg portion, and a channeled back-supporting member fixed at its-lower end to a point on the seat supporting member which is spaced forwardly of the rear end of the latter, and being fixed between its ends to said leg member; a seat having marginal portions engaged in the channels of said seatsupporting member; and a back having marginal portions seated in the channels of said backsupporting members, said back and said seat extending outwardly beyond the outer ends of the back supporting members and seat supporting members respectively.

5. A chair comprising: a pair of opposed side members, channeled seat-supporting members fixed to the side members, channeled back supporting members fixed to said side members, a seat having marginal portions seated in the channels of the seat supporting members, and a back having marginal portions seated in the channels of the back supporting members, said seat extending rearwardly of said back and providing a supporting surface behind said back.

CHRISTIAN E. CHOATE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 164,370 Ham June 15, 1875 1,840,275 Nuberg Jan. 5, 1932 1,975,622 Schermerhorn Oct. 2, 1934 2,016,953 Arnold Oct. 8, 1935 2,159,517 Beeman May 23, 1939 2.257103 Brokering Sept. 30, 1941 2,464,995 Roth Mar. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 235,987 Switzerland Jan. 15, 1945 

